Our Strange Duet
by eriksangelofmusic300
Summary: Christine loves Erik, but she also loves Raoul. Raoul despises the idea of Erik, and Erik feels the same way towards Raoul. Christine must choose someone to spend her life with, but that's easier said than done.
1. Chapter 1

I woke up in an unfamiliar bed. It was comfortable and warm, but the black curtain isolating me from the rest of the strange room I was in was unsettling. Pulling the curtain aside, the events from last night rushed back into my mind.

My Angel of Music wasn't an angel after all. He was a man. A very mysterious man, for he wore a cape, a fedora, and a vertical mask that covered half his face. I should've been afraid. I should of turned away from him.

But I didn't.

When he appeared in my dressing room mirror, I went with him. I went with him without a second thought. I remember he led me through his lair, singing with me the whole time. One lyric he sung still hung in my mind.

_My power over you grows stronger yet_.

He wasn't wrong.

But how did I end up in the bed?

The memory of fainting came flooding back. He had made a mannequin of me, wearing a wedding dress. The last thing I remembered was being shocked into unconsciousness. He must of carried me to the bed. The thought of him carrying me made me smile, and in a way, I wished I had been awake to experience it.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a strange song. It was coming from a music box in the shape of a monkey. Turning my head, I saw that it was sat on a table, near the bed I had been sleeping on. Suddenly the sound of a loud, melancholy song cut off the monkey. Following the song, I walked to the other side of my Angel's lair, before discovering it was him playing the heart-wrenching song on the organ.

I walked up to him, and suddenly I was overcome with curiosity. What was this man hiding behind his mask? There was only one way to find out. Mustering up all my courage, I walked up to him. I realized the mask he wore obstructed his peripheral vision on the ride side. So, he couldn't see me coming. He didn't hear me. He was too absorbed in his music. He didn't know I was about to discard the mystifying mask he wore.

A scream I didn't think could come from a human being escaped my Angel's lips the instant he felt the cool air hit his face. He threw me to the ground in his rage. "Damn you! You little prying Pandora! You little demon! Is _this _what you wanted to see!?"

As he went on with his outburst, the pain in my arm from where he threw me seemed to multiply by the second. Hot tears streamed down my face, half because of the pain, and half because of the guilt I felt for causing my Angel so much grief.

"…but secretly, dreams of beauty, secretly….secretly…." My Angel was finished with his rant, and was now sitting on the ground, next to me, tears spilling down his left cheek. He was covering the right cheek with his hand, but I imagine tears were pouring from his right eye, too.

"Angel…" I whispered, handing him his mask. I winced as pressure was put on my right arm, and the pain intensified. My Angel noticed me flinch. He put his mask on in a flash and gently grabbed my arm.

"Christine…I have hurt you. My poor, sweet Christine! Forgive me! I didn't mean to!" He looked like he was about to cry again.

"No, Angel! It wasn't your fault! I had it coming, for snatching your mask like that. Please, do not blame yourself."

I should bring you back to your dressing room. You shouldn't be down here when you are injured. He stood up, then offered a hand to pull me up with him.

"No, Angel. Can I please stay with you down here? Please!" Something about this masked man was intriguing and attractive, even though under the mask he was hideous. I was strangely drawn to him, and the thought of me staying with him longer made my heart flutter.

"No, Christine," he said firmly. "I shall return you to your dressing room immediately."

I sighed, as I knew this was an argument I could not win. He took my hand in his gloved one, and led me back above ground, and finally back through the mirror, to my dressing room. "Will you return soon, Angel?" I asked hopefully.

He nodded. "I will return to check on your arm tomorrow morning. For now, call the doctor. Have him check on it."

I nodded, and he disappeared through the mirror once more, without a good-bye.


	2. Chapter 2

"Christine! Christine, open the door this instant!" There was a loud banging on my dressing room door, and I recognized it as Raoul immediately. I stumbled to the door and pulled it open. He rushed in, not even greeting me first. "Shut the door, Christine," he commanded in a stern voice.

Obeying him, I closed it. "Where the Devil did you _go _Christine!? I leave for five minutes to get my hat, and then you vanish. For a whole day!" He was seething. Until this moment, I was unaware how long I was gone and I didn't even think about how worried Raoul would be when he realized I was gone.

"Well…" I stammered. I knew he would never believe me about my Angel, but the thought of lying to my sweet Raoul made my stomach hurt. "Remember how I told you the Angel of Music was paying me visits? And teaching me how to sing?" I asked, hating how my voice trembled when I said it.

Raoul laughed. "Yes, Lotte, I remember you saying something about it. But what does that absurd story have to do with your disappearance?"

I clenched my jaw. "It's _not_ absurd, Raoul. Do you want to hear what happened, or not?"

He nodded, and I continued. "Well, last night I found out he wasn't an Angel. In fact, he's a man. Just a normal man," I said, leaving out the part about his face and the fact he lived under the opera house and the fact he had a wedding dress for me. "He sung to me, and I spent the night with him."

Raoul leaned forward and out his hand on my forehead. "Are you feeling alright? Do you feel feverish at all? Making up stories about an Angel teaching you to sing is one thing, but saying you actually met him and spent the night with him is completely different."

I pushed his hand away. "I'm not sick, Raoul! And I'm not making this up! It really happened! I knew I shouldn't have told you! I knew you wouldn't believe me!" My voice cracked, and the next thing I knew, tears were running down my face as Raoul wrapped me into his arms trying to comfort me.

"Shhh…Christine, it's okay. I believe you. You're not making this up. Just stop crying," He said, rocking me slowly back and forth in his arms. I knew he didn't believe me. I knew he was just trying to make me feel better.

He led me to my bed, and sat me down. "You need to rest. You'll feel better in the morning, I promise." Saying this, he stroked my arm. My hurt arm. I flinched, and he took notice. "Christine, what is this?" He rolled up my sleeve, and saw my purple, swollen arm. He gasped.

"Who hurt you?! I demand you tell me! Christine, you can't just let yourself be abused and make up stories about an Angel to cover the person responsible for this. Tell me what happened, now!" He sat next to me on the bed, and took my hands. "You don't deserve to be harmed like this," he whispered.

"No, Raoul. It wasn't a person who harmed me. I just-I tripped. I was being clumsy. It was my fault." I hated lying to him, but I couldn't tell him my Angel did this to me. He'd demand for me to take him to my Angel, and then probably hurt him.

I could tell Raoul still didn't believe me. He looked into my eyes for a long time, before leaning into me and kissing my forehead. "Okay, Christine. I trust you. Just- Just be careful. I'll let you rest," He silently walked out of my dressing room, and I heard the door shut with a click. I remembered my Angel's orders to get my injury checked out, but I really had to go to rehearse. I pulled my sleeve down to cover my bruises, and went to go rehearse the dance routine for the opera that was being shown this season.

I stumbled through rehearsals, trying to keep my mind off of what happened between me and my Angel. My heart beat faster when I remembered his promise to visit me in the morning. Somehow, I managed to get through rehearsals, and tried to get back to my dressing room at once. But, to my dismay, I was stopped by my friend, Meg.

Don't get me wrong, I liked Meg. She was my best friend. But I had nothing to say to her. I wanted to get back to my dressing room, and sleep until my Angel returned.

"Christine! I heard you disappeared last night. What happened to you?!" Meg called.

I turned around and painted a fake smile on my face. "Oh, Meg, you heard that silly rumor. I didn't disappear, I was in my dressing room the whole time!" I still hated to lie, but I had a feeling Meg's reaction to my story would be like Raoul's.

"But I went into your dressing room," She replied confused. "and you were gone."

My mind raced to think of a reply to her. I didn't know what to say. "Ah, well, you must've gone in when I left to visit Raoul." I'm not sure if she believed me, but she nodded and smiled.

"Well, I got to go. Mother doesn't like me to be out late. See you tomorrow!" And she was gone.

I hurried to my dressing room and quickly changed into my nightgown. I figured the quicker I got to bed, the sooner I'd get to see my Angel. As I crawled into bed, I realized how wrong it was that I was this excited for my Angel to visit me. _You love Raoul. You love Raoul._ Did I have feelings for my Angel? I was still pondering the question when my eyelids closed and sleep overcame me.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up from a dreamless sleep, and remembered my Angel was coming to see me this morning. I mentally kicked myself for feeling so dizzy and giddy. _You love Raoul, Christine. And Raoul loves you._ I still wasn't sure how I felt about my Angel. I didn't even know his name. Did he even_ have_ a name?

I changed quickly and ran a brush through my curly hair. It was Sunday, and way too early for anyone to be awake. I sat on my bed, and inspected my arm. It was even more swollen than it was last night. It was then I realized I had completely forgot to see a doctor, like I had promised my Angel. I sighed and picked up a book to read until my Angel got here.

It seemed like hours until I heard the familiar voice call my name. "Christine?" It called softly.

I jumped up from my bed. "Angel!" He entered through the mirror, looking around my room as if he thought there were people listening.

"Good morning, Christine," he whispered, taking off his fedora and setting in on a table. "So, how does your arm feel? What did the doctor say?" He asked, getting straight to the point. It was one of my favorite things about him. No matter what, he always got straight to the point. No dancing around the subject. He just dove right in.

"Oh…Angel…well…" I stammered. "I didn't actually see one." I looked at the floor. "I'm sorry,"

He hardened his glare and stepped closer to me. "Christine, you have to get that checked out."

Why was he so obsessed with my arm? Yes, it hurt but it couldn't be anything worse than a broken arm. I found the whole situation odd.

"It's really no big deal," I said. "why are you so worried about me?"

Something in him seemed to snap when I said that. "It _is_ a big deal! I hurt you! I was so caught up in myself that _I hurt you! _Christine, I would never purposely harm you! Never! But I did! And if you were severely harmed, I would _never_ forgive myself! And I've already harmed so many people…I just don't want to harm you…" His voice trailed off, and he began sobbing into his hands.

I didn't know what to do. My Angel had just come to visit me to bring me comfort, to make sure I was okay. But somehow, I had made him cry. Out of instinct, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a close hug. He stiffened at first at my touch, but soon began to warm up to me and gingerly placed his arms around my waist.

When we pulled away, I looked up at him and gave him a slight smile. He stood there, with tears filling his eyes, and looked down into my eyes. "Christine…" He whispered. "that was…..that was so…..wonderful. I've never been…had anyone show affection for me before."

I looked at him wide-eyed. "Never? You've never hugged anyone before?"

He shook his head sadly. "Only you, Christine."

Sympathy for the poor man standing in front of me filled my heart. "Oh, Angel…."

"Please stop calling me Angel," He looked at the ground. "I am anything but an Angel. I lied to you about being one and took advantage of your vulnerability. But you've shown me so much compassion…I would understand if you didn't want to see me anymore. I'm sure I wasn't the most pleasant person to hug. I'll just leave. I won't bother you anymore."

I didn't understand why he suddenly got the idea I didn't want to see him anymore. Or why he thought he was unpleasant to hug. Admittedly, he was much more enjoyable to huge than Raoul. My Angel had a surprisingly firm body, and he was warm. He seemed like someone you would go to when you needed a shoulder to cry on. My face flushed, as I realized how much I longed for that hug to last. I felt so wrong. I was courting Raoul. No appropriate woman would lust for another man when she already had one.

"No, Ang-," I began, before correcting myself. "No. I want to keep our lessons. I want to keep talking to you. You are my best friend, and I want to keep our friendship. Please, won't you stay in my dressing room for awhile longer? Or maybe I could return to your lair?"

He shook his head. "No…I can't allow that. Maybe another day…" He turned around to leave, and as he was about to enter the mirror again, I called out to him.

"Wait! If you don't want me to call you Angel anymore…what should I call you? You must have a first name, right?"

He turned around and looked like he was trying hard to remember something. "It's…..Erik. Erik Destler, if I recall. It's….it's been awhile since anyone's called me that."

"Erik," I liked the way it felt on my lips. "Well, I'll see you Erik. Will you visit me soon?"

He silently nodded, turned on his heel, and left.

It had been about a month and a half since Erik had visited me in my dressing room and when I had hugged him. Erik had continued to give me lessons, and every so often he would come into my dressing room and we'd talk together. No matter what the topic, we always ended up laughing. Erik's laugh was beautiful, and something l longed to hear. It felt as if every second we spent talking, the small attraction I had for him grew.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author note: I'm sorry for the irregular updates, and that all the chapters (especially this one) are pretty short. This, as you can probably tell, is my first fanfiction, and until I get more confident and used to the writing, they will probably be short. Thanks to everyone who's reading!**

"Erik, can I come to your lair again? I've only been that one time, and it was so beautiful. Pleeeease?" I begged him like I was a toddler. It was true, I had only been to it once, and I'm not really sure it counted because all I did was sleep down there.

"Christine," He huffed, obviously annoyed at my whining. "you've asked me this everyday for the past month. What makes you think I'm going to change my answer? If I want you to see my lair again, I'll take you."

I sighed. Erik would only come to my dressing room to visit me, and he would either come very early in the morning or very late at night, there was never an in between. I just wished I could see him whenever _I_ wanted, not when I was half-asleep. But he always said he didn't want to risk me getting in trouble. I had no idea what kind of trouble he meant, but he would never tell me.

"Fine," I grumbled. Right at that moment, there was a knock at the door. I looked over at Erik, who immediately ripped open the secret passage in my mirror, and dove inside. I waited a moment to make sure the cost was clear, then opened the door to reveal Raoul.

"Raoul!" I cried in a fake cheerful voice. He wrapped his arms around me in a hug, as I suddenly realized Erik would be able to hear and see everything we did or said. I ended the embrace as quickly as possible, and went to sit on the edge of my bed. "What're you doing here?"

"More importantly, who were you talking to?" He asked with an eyebrow raised. "I thought I heard a man in here. There's no man in here is there?"

"O-of course not!" I stuttered. He thought I was cheating on him! What kind of woman did he think I was? But I actually _did_ have a man in my room….but Erik didn't count, did he?

"So you were talking to yourself?" Raoul asked me, looking at me as if I had three heads.

"Yes!" I said, a little too enthusiastically. "I was just thinking aloud."

I guess I fooled him, because he stopped asking me questions and changed the subject. "My father is dying to meet you, Christine. He arranged a supper tomorrow night at our palace. He normally wouldn't approve of me courting a common singer, but he remembers you from when we were children and is delighted to meet you and-"

I cut off Raoul from his excited ramble with a laugh. "Of course I'll go, Raoul. You can tell the Comte I'm looking forward to it."

Raoul pulled me into a tight embrace, which quickly turned into a kiss. I could feel my cheeks turn hot as I realized Erik would be able to see mine and Raoul's action. I pulled away suddenly, and smiled into Raoul's confused eyes.

"Well," he said taking my hands in his. "I better get going. I'll tell my father you'll be there. I'll come by your dressing room tomorrow night to pick you up." He leaned in and kissed me quickly again, before turning around and exiting my room.

I counted to ten before calling out to Erik. "It's safe to come out now, Erik," Erik came out from his hiding place in the mirror, double checking to make sure it was safe. He ran his hand through his fake slicked back hair, before looking down at his feet.

I could feel my heart being torn in two when I saw how sad he looked. Why was he so gloomy? I walked over to where he was, and put my hand on his masked cheek. "What's wrong, Angel?" I asked. He brought his dark eyes up to meet mine, and when I saw how much sadness they held, my heart seemed to shatter.

"It's nothing," He sighed. "I-I better go. Would you mind if I returned tomorrow morning? We can have a singing lesson. We'll go over those new songs you've been trying."

I grabbed his arm. "Can you be back tonight? Please? After everyone's asleep, so then I can come to your lair and no one will notice!" I was proud of myself for coming up with that idea. There was no way he could get out of this.

Erik rolled his eyes, and looked at me annoyed. "Fine. I'll come back tonight and I'll take you to my lair. Are you happy?"

"Yes! Thank you Erik!" I smashed him in an hug, and I felt him stiffen for just a second before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. The hug lasted much longer than it needed to; much longer than two friends would hug. "I'll see you tonight, Erik,"

He turned to leave, but I put my hand on his shoulder and he turned around. I leaned in and softly pressed my lips to his cheek. What possessed me to do that, I have no idea. He looked shocked, and put his hand up to where I had kissed him. His mouth was hanging open and he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

He left through the mirror before I could say anything else.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: I'm ****_really_**** sorry about the lack of updates. My parents were out of town, so I had to stay at my grandparent's house. I had no way to write anything until tonight. Unfortunately, this chapter is rather short for two reasons: One is writer's block, and two is I'm still not sure how enjoyable this story really is. Thanks to everyone for reading so far, and I hope you enjoy Chapter Five!**

I sat in Erik's boat, as he rowed me to his hidden lair. The first time I had come down here, I was so surprised and confused I didn't take the time to look around and observe my surroundings. But now, since I was fully aware what was happening, I took in all the scenery. There was too many candles to count. The river wasn't a very attractive color, but it seemed to add to the level of mystery. Cobwebs hung on the walls, and I wondered how they didn't bother Erik.

The sound of Erik's gruff voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Here we are," he said, motioning forward with his hand. He stepped off the boat onto dry ground, and held his hand out to help me out.

His lair was even more beautiful than I remembered. There were even more candles here than there was along the river, and beautiful works of art were everywhere. "Erik!" I gasped, taking in all the beauty.

He raised the eyebrow that was visible, and chuckled to himself. "Christine, it's not your first time being down here. Shouldn't you know what to expect?"

But I wasn't listening. I had wandered over to a table, and picked up a painting of a woman. The woman looked extremely familiar, but I didn't know where I had seen her. I saw my Angel's signature in the corner. It then hit me that the woman was in fact me.

"Erik," I called, holding up the painting. "is this me?"

He rushed over to where I was standing and quickly ripped the painting away from me. I noticed a deep blush on his left cheek, and quickly covered my mouth to keep me from chuckling. _He's cute when he's embarrassed._ I thought to myself.

It was my turn to be embarrassed when I realized I had again been thinking of Erik in a way courting couples thought of each other. I was turning into a wretch, the kind of woman who has more than one man at the same time.

"Come on," Erik said. "I want to show you something." He then lightly grabbed my hand and started leading me down a hallway I had never seen before. Before long, we stopped at a door. He turned the knob, and pushed it open. He led me inside to the room which had to be his bedroom.

There was the most beautiful piano I had ever seen in the corner. Stacks of sheet music were everywhere. The brown bed was the only part of the room that wasn't lavish and magnificent. A violin sat on top of a beautifully carved table, which in turn rested on a bright rug.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. I felt like everything in the room was placed there with extreme thought and care. The large piano caught my eye, and he noticed me staring.

"Would you like to hear a song?" Erik asked in a whisper. I nodded, and he went and sat at the piano bench. I sat on his bed, but then sat up like it was on fire when I realized how inappropriate it was to sit on a man's bed. Especially a man that wasn't my husband.

I decided to just stand by his piano while he played. "I wrote this one awhile back," he said. His fingers danced on the ivory keys and made such a beautiful sound that tears came to my eyes. The song was melancholy, but it still sounded hopeful. The notes were strung together in a way that reminded me of someone crying. The song was full of sympathy. It was the most angelic music I had ever heard.

When he finished, I applauded. He stood up and smiled at me. "Play another," I begged him.

"Christine, I j-"

"Please? Just one more? For me?" I pleaded.

He sighed and sat back down at the bench. "I can't say no when you look at me like that," he mumbled to himself. I sat down next to him on the piano bench.

"Is this okay? I won't mess you up, will I?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I'm not used to playing for people, let alone share a bench with someone. But I'd rather enjoy it if you sat here."

I sat with him and watched him play. It started out with one song, but when it was done I begged for one more. When that one was over, I pleaded for him to play just _one_ more. It kept going on like this, and he ended up playing until the wee hours of the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Again, sorry for the wait. Thanks for putting up with all my irregular updates. I finally wrote a chapter that was over 1,000 words, and so I hope that makes up for it. And a big thank you to users Kitkat and Not A Ghost3 for your lovely reviews!**

I woke up in a bed that wasn't my own. Déjà vu swept over me as I realized this wasn't the first time I had woke up here, down below the opera house. I wondered what time it was. I had stayed up all night with Erik, listening to his beautiful music, and the time I went to bed at was the same time most people were waking up.

I stood up and walked to Erik's room. I lightly knocked on the door, and when I heard no answer, I pushed the door open. I expected him to still be asleep, but I found him hunched over a piece of paper, writing what I knew had to be music. He was so engrossed in his work he didn't hear me call his name and didn't look up until I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Christine!" He said, jumping. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell like that. You just scared me…do you want something?"

"Umm…..," I said, realizing I had no real reason to walk in on Erik. "I was just wondering if you could give me a lesson." I hoped he couldn't tell I was improvising.

The edges of his mouth turned into almost a smile. "Of course Christine,"

We began our lesson, and every time he praised my voice, I felt a small flutter of happiness in my stomach. His compliments meant more to me than the ever had. I lost count of how long the lesson went on, but before I knew it Erik stood up and announced we were done.

"Do you want something to eat?" Erik asked.

I nodded, and he led me out of his room and into a room which I assumed was a kitchen. "I'll warn you," Erik said. "I'm not what you'd consider a top-notch chef."

I laughed. "It's okay, Angel. Whatever you choose to serve is okay with me."

He stiffened when he heard me call him that. "Christine, I told you, I'm not your Angel. I'm just a man. You don't have to call me that."

"But I want to," I said looking him in the eye. "You're my Angel, and I want to call you that."

He immediately changed the subject. "Is tea okay? I can make you tea, if you want." He reached for the kettle in started heating up the water for it.

"Thank you, Erik." I said smiling. I decided to sit in one of the chairs while I waited for him.

After the tea was ready, he brought over two steaming cups. He took the seat opposite of me, and handed me my cup. "Would you like any sugar?" Erik asked.

After adding sugar to my tea, we fell deep into conversation. Erik told me stories about his life, some that made me want to cry and some that made me smile. I realized that I had no stories to tell him about me, because he knew all of them already. He was there for everything I had experienced most of my childhood, and the things he hadn't seen I told him about.

I blushed when I realized that me and Erik were almost on a date. The blush deepened when my heart fluttered thinking about dating Erik.

We talked longer, and eventually Erik and I walked back to the boat. He helped me in, and rowed me back to the shore. He was about to open the entrance trough the mirror, when I grabbed his arm.

"Shhh!" I said, shushing him. "Do you hear that?"

Erik looked at me oddly, but he listened. There was a loud banging noise coming from inside of my dressing room. It sounded as if someone were kicking the wall.

"Christine! Christine!" I heard my name angrily being yelled from inside my room. I realized at once it was Raoul yelling my name and knocking on my door. I looked at Erik, eyes wide with panic. I couldn't go back inside my room now; Raoul would ask why I hadn't answered the first times he had knocked.

"What do I do?!" I whispered in quiet panic.

"Go into the room and answer the door," Erik replied. "If he asks why you didn't answer, say you were asleep."

I must've looked unsure, because he opened the door and gave me a slight push into my room. I made sure Erik was hidden in the mirror, and went to open the door. I did my best to act like someone who had just woken up.

"Raoul?" I said in mock surprise as I pulled the door open.

"Christine!" He yelled angrily. "I've been knocking for ten minutes! Where _were_ you?! You were supposed to come to supper with me and my father a hour ago!"

It was already supper time? I realized that Erik had no way of keeping time in his lair, and that's how I didn't realize I was running late. I mentally kicked myself and stumbled for a reply.

"I'm sorry, Raoul," I stammered. "I just, uh, fell asleep. Your knocking woke me up."

"Did it really take ten minutes for you to wake up?! Christine, don't lie to me. I know you weren't asleep. Now tell me where you were. Now!"

I hated the way Raoul got when he was angry. "I-I'm sorry," I said, "I was in here, a-"

"Stop lying to me!" He slammed his fist into the wall, causing part of the wall to crumble. "You're cheating on me, aren't you? Aren't you?!"

"Raoul, I'm not cheating on you!" I said, my voice shaking in fear.

"You already embarrassed me in front of my family, Christine. The least you could do is tell me the truth and apologize." Raoul said in a dangerously calm tone.

"Raoul," I choked, as tears began to form at my eyes. "I love you. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Please, please forgive me."

Raoul shook his head and stepped closer to me. "No Christine. No. I'm sorry, but I can't be in a relationship that's built on lies. Good-bye." He started to walk away.

"Raoul! No! Wait!" I screamed as he left. He ignored me and slammed the door shut, leaving me alone in my dressing room.

I collapsed onto the floor, shaking with sobs. Raoul had left me. Raoul had left me. It seemed to horrible to be true, but yet it was. I was still crying when I felt a comforting hand on my back.

I looked up and saw Erik's masked face. He looked down at me sympathetically, and began to lift me up. "Shhh, Christine," He said, soothing me. "It's going to be okay. I promise. It's not the end of the world."

He set me on the edge of my bed, and then sat down next to me. He wiped away my tears with his thumb, before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into him. He rocked me back and forth, murmuring words of comfort in my ear. When I was out of tears, I pulled away from him. "Th-thank you." I said shakily.

He nodded in reply. "Anytime, Christine."

I felt to depressed to do anything but sleep, so I crawled under the blankets of my bed. Erik stood up, and went to blow out the candles illuminating the room. When the room was in total darkness, he returned to my side. "Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to stay with you?"

"You can go. But before you do, will you sing me a song?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course." He whispered. He began to softly sing me a lullaby. The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was thinking how beautiful his voice was.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up the next morning for rehearsals. I dragged myself out of bed, still depressed from the night-before's events. I got dressed and went to meet all the other dancers. My best friend, Meg, immediately noticed something was wrong with me.

"Christine? Are you okay? You don't look so good…" She whispered, so we wouldn't get caught talking.

"I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it," I said softly. "But, no, I'm really not okay. Raoul accused me of cheating last night. I swore I wasn't, but he wouldn't believe me. He doesn't want to see me anymore." I felt tears well up in my eyes.

"That's horrible!" Meg said. "Christine, I'm so sorry. I d-"

Meg was cut off by her mother, Madame Giry. "Meg Giry! Christine Daaé! Are you two going to join the rest of us in rehearsals, or are you two going to talk while everyone else works?!"

Not wanting to be scolded anymore, we went on through rehearsals without a peep. But afterwards, Meg rushed over to me wanting to know all the details. I told her what happened, leaving out the part about Erik. After hearing the whole story, Meg pulled me into a hug, trying to comfort me.

"Christine, that's so unfair. How _dare_ he accuse you of cheating! What kind of woman does he think you are?!" Meg proclaimed angrily.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I sighed. "I'm just so _depressed_ about it. Did you see how horrid my dancing was? I can't even focus."

"It's okay, Christine," Meg said smiling. "Your dancing was fine. In f-"

Meg was once again cut off by her mother. "Meg, you have socialized enough during today's rehearsal. Tell Christine good-bye, you'll see her tomorrow." Madame Giry took Meg's hand and led her away. Meg turned around and waved good-bye to me.

I had nothing else to I returned to my dressing room. What I really wanted was to talk to Erik, but I didn't know how to find him.

Sighing, I returned to my dressing room. "Erik," I whispered. "Erik, if you're there, please come. I need someone to talk to."

I buried my head in my hands. I don't know how long I stayed in that position, but I heard a voice calling my name.

"Christine?" It called.

"Erik! You-you heard me?" I asked astonished. I lifted my head from my hands, and looked to see Erik standing in front of me. I knew Erik was always somewhere close; he had been since I was a child. But I didn't think he would actually hear my call.

"Christine…" He said in a hushed tone. "I will always be here for you. No matter what. If you ever need me, I will be willing to help. All you have to do is call for me." As he talked, he walked towards me, inching closer with every word. He was standing so close to me, our noses were centimeters apart. I could feel his breath on my face as he talked.

"Erik," I said, still whispering. "you don't know how much means to me. Thank you. You're the best friend I could ask for."

His dark eyes met mine for a moment, and I wondered what he was going to do. I half hoped he would close the gap between us, but another part of me knew nothing could ever happen between us. He moved his hand to my shoulder, and smiled. I thought for a minute he really _was_ going to kiss me, but he suddenly pulled back as if he were struck.

Erik began to pace around my room, his eyes glued to the floor. "I'm sorry Christine," He apologized, "I didn't mean to let my….emotions get in the way."

"It's okay, Erik," I said smiling. "I le- wait. What emotions are you talking about?"

Erik looked up at me. He smoothed down his wig with his left hand, even though it didn't need fixing. A nervous habit, I presume. "Erm….never mind. I'll tell you another time, Christine." And with that, he disappeared.

"What do you think? Did it seem okay?" I asked Erik. I was in his lair again, and I showed him the dance I was supposed to be learning. I felt so out of everything lately, and I felt my dancing was suffering. I had started practicing with Erik, and he always had some sort of helpful advice or criticism.

"That was wonderful," He said, a hint of a smile forming at his lips. His answer surprised me. I figured that he would, as always, tell me at least _something_ I needed to work on. I felt both proud and excited that he enjoyed my dancing.

"You really think so?" I asked.

"I wouldn't lie to you, Christine,"

"I know, I know," I replied. "I just…I've been having a harder time focusing in rehearsals. I'm afraid if it keeps going like this, I won't be needed as a dancer anymore." I sighed. "Thanks again for letting me practice with you Erik."

"Anything for you," Erik said as he always did. Whenever I thanked him, I always got the same thing. "Anything for you, Christine,". It always made me think. Would I do anything for Erik? Does he mean as much to me as I do to him?

I shake my head; an attempt to get the guilty thought out of my head. "I still feel like I owe you something. You do so much for me, yet I do nothing in return. You deserve something from me, Erik."

"No, I don't," He said, a sad look coming into his eyes. "I don't deserve anything. If you knew the things I have done, if you knew the sins I have committed, you would agree that I do not deserve anything but pain. One of the reasons I do all _this_," he said motioning with his hands towards me, "is to make up for everything I've done."

I knew he didn't mean for it to, but his last remark hurt. Was the only reason he was friend to me because he felt like he needed to make up for his past sins?

"Erik…" I started, but I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what sins he was talking about, and I had a feeling it was something he didn't want to share.

He backed away from me. "I'm sorry, Christine,"

"Erik, you need to stop apologizing to me. You've done nothing wrong."

After that episode, he began to give me a music lesson, and we both seemed to forget about what happened. But, when he was walking me back to my dressing room, I realized he never told me what the 'other reasons' for being my friend was.


End file.
